Tales from the Haunted Mansion Volume III: Grim Grinning Ghosts
Tales from the Haunted Mansion Volume III: Grim Grinning Ghosts is the third volume in the collection of short stories told by the Haunted Mansion's librarian, Amicus Arcane (who is credited as the author) and "transcribed" by John Esposito, with illustrations by Kelley Jones. The book tells the stories of three mysterious artifacts, brought to the mansion by a trio of unwitting mortals simply hoping to make a buck off the delivery... Summary Declan Smythe, fresh out of prison, reunites with two of his old associates in New Orleans Square, Marge Mulvaney and Pasquale. The pair have taken on an odd job of moving three peculiar crates shipped into the harbor to a certain haunted mansion along Route 13, their only directions on a suspiciously leathery map. Declan muscles his way into the operation and the trio eventually reach their destination, where Amicus Arcane has been eagerly awaiting their arrival. Payment will only be given once the articles have been unpacked, and as each crate is taken to its respective place and opened, the librarian reveals the stories behind these spirited items: a piano, an Egyptian sarcophagus, and an ornately carved wooden door. * In "Strange Musicality," piano protege Tobe is at the top of his game, ready to move on to the Buena Vista Middle School music finals and win a scholarship with a moving sonata he wrote - or claims he wrote, as his mousy rival Genevieve points out that the sonata was actually written by the late music teacher, Mrs. Birch. Rather than face the music, Tobe uses his influence to destroy Genevieve's reputation, effectively putting an end to the competition. But Tobe's plagiarized song is haunting in more ways than one, and when he starts hearing it echoing from the strangest places, having it stuck in his head is the least of his worries... * In "Some Tea with a Mummy," the ancient tomb of Prince Amenmose is unearthed and plundered by Colonel Bartholomew Tusk, who makes an unexpected fortune not from the artifacts or the ancient prince's mummy, but from the tomb's dried tanis leaves that he mixes and sells to the world as Tusk's Tasty Tanis Tea, an instant and enduring hit, with the mummy as its mascot. The Colonel's disregard for the dignity of the prince and his treasures draws the ire of a priest of Karnack, who breaks into the museum where the mummy is kept and attempts to revive it with the tea, said to bring the dead back life. Meanwhile, the tea is also having a peculiar effect on a girl named Penny, who bears a striking resemblance to the Egyptian queen Hatshepsut... * In "The Door That Breathes," Ellen stumbles upon a trio of witches in a clearing while exploring the woods of Salem, Mass., and through them discovers she herself might have some supernatural power. She sees the beauty and mystery in the old oak tree in that clearing, but Big Ed - Ellen's father and a professional carpenter - sees only profit. When he cuts the tree down, an unexpected tragedy puts a huge rift between he and Ellen, and Big Ed crafts the tree into a hand-carved closet door in a misguided bid to make Ellen feel better... With each story told, the trio are pulled deeper and deeper into the enigmatic mansion, and when Declan belligerently tries to steal some of the valuable items he finds, he gets a lot more than he bargained for... Trivia * "Some Tea with a Mummy" makes a reference to Lord Henry Mystic. Colonel Tusk justifies stealing the tanis leaves and making the mummy his mascot by saying one of his competitors, such as Lord Mystic, would have done it first. This is anachronistic, given the modern setting of the story. Category:Books